Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a 2018 American computer-animated superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Miles Morales / Spider-Man, produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with Marvel, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the first animated feature film in the Spider-Man franchise,56 and is set in a shared multiverse called the "Spider-Verse", which has alternate universes. The film was directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman from a screenplay by Phil Lord and Rothman and a story by Lord, and stars the voices of Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, and Liev Schreiber. In Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales becomes one of many Spider-Men as they team up to save New York City from Kingpin. Plans for an animated Spider-Man film to be developed by Lord and Christopher Miller were first revealed in 2014, and officially announced in April 2015. Persichetti, Ramsey, and Rothman joined over the next two years, with Moore and Schreiber cast in April 2017. Lord and Miller wanted the film to have its own unique style, combining Sony Pictures Imageworks' computer animation pipeline with traditional hand-drawn comic book techniques inspired by the work of Miles Morales's co-creator Sara Pichelli. Completing the animation for the film required up to 140 animators, the largest crew ever used by Sony Pictures Animation for a film to date. The film was dedicated in memory of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse had its world premiere at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles on December 1, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 14. It has grossed over $367 million worldwide against a $90 million budget. The film received praise for its animation, characters, story, voice acting, humor, and soundtrack. It won numerous awards, including winning Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards, 72nd British Academy Film Awards, 46th Annie Awards, and 76th Golden Globe Awards. It was the first non-Disney or Pixar film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature since 2011's Rango. A sequel and a spin-off are both in development. Plot Teenager Miles Morales struggles living up to the expectations of his parents, especially his father's, police officer Jefferson Davis, who sees Spider-Man as a menace. After school, Miles secretly visits his uncle Aaron Davis, who brings Miles to an abandoned subway station where he can paint graffiti. While there, Miles is unknowingly bitten by a radioactive spider and, the next day, discovers it gave him spider-like abilities. Miles returns to the station to search for the spider and unintentionally discovers a particle accelerator built by Wilson Fisk in order to access parallel universes to find alternative versions of his wife and son, who died in a car crash. Spider-Man tries to disable the accelerator while fighting two of Fisk's enforcers, Green Goblin and Prowler. Spider-Man is gravely wounded by an explosion during the battle, which kills Green Goblin. Spider-Man gives Miles, whom he found, a USB flash to disable the accelerator and warns that the machine could destroy the city if turned on again. Miles then watches in horror as Fisk kills Spider-Man. After purchasing a Spider-Man costume, Miles tries out his newfound abilities but in the process damages the USB drive. At Spider-Man's grave, Miles meets Peter B. Parker, an older and worn-down version of Spider-Man from another dimension. Peter reluctantly agrees to train Miles in exchange for help stealing data to create a new drive. While breaking into Kingpin's research facility, they are confronted by Fisk's chief scientist Olivia Octavius, who reveals that Peter will deteriorate and die if he stays longer in their dimension. Miles and Peter are then rescued by Gwen Stacy, another dimension-displaced heroine. Gwen, Peter, and Miles find Peter's aunt, May Parker, who is sheltering dimension-displaced heroes Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Ham, and Peni Parker, who are also deteriorating. Miles offers to disable the accelerator so the others can return home, but the responsibility quickly overwhelms him when the heroes test his underdeveloped powers. Miles retreats to Aaron's home, where he discovers that Aaron is the Prowler. He returns to May's house, where Peni has completed the drive; however, he is followed by Fisk, Prowler, Octavius, The Scorpion, and Tombstone, leading to a brawl. Miles flees May's house but is captured by Prowler, before unmasking himself in front of Aaron. Unwilling to kill Miles, Aaron is shot by Fisk. Miles flees with Aaron, but Aaron succumbs to his injury and dies. Jefferson sees Miles mourning over Aaron and concludes that Spider-Man killed him. The Spider-People regroup with Miles in his dorm. Peter restrains Miles with his webs to ensure his safety before heading out with the Spider-People, choosing to sacrifice himself by staying behind and deactivating the accelerator. Jefferson arrives outside Miles' door and, assuming he does not want to speak to him, apologizes for his mistakes. Miles manages to control his powers. He joins the other Spider-People and helps them defeat Fisk's enforcers before activating the USB drive and sending them home. Fisk and Miles fight throughout the accelerator, attracting Jefferson's attention. Jefferson realizes that Spider-Man is not the enemy and encourages him, giving Miles the motivation to paralyse Fisk with his venom strike and throw him at the kill switch, destroying the accelerator and restoring the Web of Life and Destiny. The authorities arrest Fisk and his enforcers and Jefferson recognizes Spider-Man as a hero. Miles embraces the responsibilities of his new life. Back in their dimensions, the Spider-People return to their lives, and Gwen finds a way to contact Miles across dimensions. In another dimension, Miguel O'Hara's assistant, Lyla, informs him of the crisis and gives him dimension-hopping technology. He decides to "go back to the beginning", and ends up arguing with that universe's Spider-Mansion .1 Cast * Shameik Moore as Miles Morales / Spider-Man * Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker / Spider-Man * Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman * Liev Schreiber as Wilson Fisk / The Kingpin * Nicolas Cage as Peter Parker / Spider-Man Noir * Mahershala Ali as Aaron Davis / The Prowler * John Mulaney as Peter Porker / Spider-Ham * Kimiko Glenn as Peni Parker / SP//dr * Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Davis * Lily Tomlin as Aunt May * Luna Lauren Velez as Rio Morales * Chris Pine as Peter Parker / Spider-Man * Zoë Kravitz as Mary Jane Watson * Kathryn Hahn as Olivia "Liv" Octavius / Doctor Octopus * Lake Bell as Vanessa Fisk * Jorma Taccone as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin * Marvin Jones III as Tombstone * Joaquín Cosío as Scorpion Post Malone (who contributed to the film's soundtrack) as a bystander in Brooklyn.2522 Archival recording of Cliff Robertson from the 2002 film Spider-Man was used for a flashback scene involving the character Ben Parker. Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee appears in a posthumous cameo, as a character named Stan who sells a Spider-Man costume to Morales. Lord and Miller said it was important to give Lee a bigger moment in the film rather than just a passing cameo, because he was "so integral to the spirit of this movie", and the role was "extra meaningful" following Lee's death in November 2018.1026 Lee also has several brief "Easter egg" cameos throughout the film, like when he walks over Miles and Peter B. when they are lying down on the streets of New York.2728 Cameos during the film's post-credits include: Oscar Isaac as Miguel O'Hara / Spider-Man 2099, an alternative version of Spider-Man from the Marvel 2099 Imprint;29 Greta Lee as O'Hara's AI assistant Lyla (both of whom are credited as Interesting Person #1 and Interesting Person #2); and Jorma Taccone as the Earth-67 Peter Parker / Spider-Man (replacing Paul Soles, with the character being credited as Last Dude).30 Stan Lee also voices the Earth-67 version of Peter Parker's boss J. Jonah Jameson during that same scene (replacing the late Paul Kligman), something that actually accomplishes Lee's wishes to portray that character since the eighties due to Jameson being based on Lee himself, and marking the second and last time Lee played a character he created after his appearance as Willie Lumpkin in the 2005 film Fantastic Four.31 Donald Glover also appears in a background TV screen as Troy Barnes in Spider-Man pajamas.32 Miles Morales's best friend and roommate Ganke Lee appears. However, he is not named and does not speak. His name was confirmed in the special promotional magazine Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse The Official Movie Special33 and in the film's script.34 The character originally had a bigger role in the movie, but the filmmakers ultimately decided to develop his storyline in future movies about Miles.35 Production Following the November 2014 hacking of Sony's computers, emails between Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal and president Doug Belgrad were released, saying that Sony was planning to "rejuvenate" the Spider-Man franchise by developing an animated comedy film with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Sony executives were set to discuss the project further in a discussion regarding several Spider-Man spin-off films at a summit in January 2015.36 At the 2015 CinemaCon in April, Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman announced that the animated Spider-Man film had a July 20, 2018 release date, and would be produced by Lord and Miller, Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Pascal, with Lord and Miller also writing a treatment for the film. Rothman said that it would "co-exist" with the live-action Spider-Man films, though Sony soon stated that the film would "exist independently of the projects in the live-action Spider-Man universe,"37 as it is set in an alternate universe from those films without the version of Spider-Man as seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.38 That December, Sony moved the film's release date to December 21, 2018.39 By June 2016, Lord had written a script for the film, and the studio chose Bob Persichetti to direct.40 Miller said the film would feel different from previous Spider-Man films, and "will stand on its own as a unique filmgoing experience."41 It had also been rumored to focus on the Miles Moralesversion of Spider-Man,4041 which Sony confirmed at a presentation for its upcoming animated films in January 2017. Peter Ramseywas co-directing the film by that point.42 The next month, Alex Hirsch was revealed to have contributed to the film's story along with Lord and Miller, and Christina Steinberg was said to have replaced Tolmach as a producer on the film.943 In April 2017, the film's release date was pushed up one week from December 21, 2018, to December 14, 2018.44 Lord and Miller announced in December that the film was titled Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and revealed that multiple Spider-Men would appear in the film. By then, Rodney Rothman was also co-directing the film.45 Lord described directors Ramsey as "the action guy", Rothman as "the comedy guy" and Persichetti as "the poet". Writing Trivia * Some scenes in this film pay homage to the live-action Spider-Man films starring Tobey Maguire. * This is the first animated Spider-Man film to be released in theaters * This is the first animated Sony Pictures Animation film to use the Columbia Pictures logo since The Emoji Movie in 2017, as the previous film to use it, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, was live-action. * This is the first Spider-Man film to be rated PG by the MPAA and also the second theatrically-released Marvel film in general to be designated that rating after the live-action sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. * The eighth Sony Pictures Animation film to be produced in a 2:35:1 aspect ratio, after Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Goosebumps, The Emoji Movie, Peter Rabbit and Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween. * This film has its own line of Funko Pops!. * This is the first Spider-Man film that does not focus on Peter Parker. * A scene from this film was included as a post-credits scene at the end of 2018's live-action film Venom * This film introduces a new Sony Pictures Animation logo where we start with a close up of a triangle in white then glitches to see the text "SONY PICTURES ANIMATION" in an angular font in black then it lights up to blue and glitches more then the logo gets close up and zooms back to make room for the new Pascal Pictures logo also glitching to diffrent animation and changing to "PICTURES RASCAL" then turns back to normal. * With the running time of 116 minutes, this is the longest Sony Pictures Animation film in history. * This is the first Sony Pictures Animation film to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature; the two previous films Surf's Up and The Pirates! Band of Misfits were nominated in that category, but lost to the two Disney/Pixar films Ratatouille and Brave. * This film marks the second multiverse film in general after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television film Turtles Forever. Gallery Category:Columbia Pictures films Category:Sony Pictures Entertainment Films Category:Sony Pictures Animation Films Category:Animated films Category:Computer animation Category:Superhero films Category:Sci-Fi films Category:Adult animated films Category:Films directed by Peter Ramsey Category:Films produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Category:Films scored by Michael Giacchino Category:Films scored by Lorne Balfe